The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Acorus gramineus and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Golden Pheasant’. ‘Golden Pheasant’ is a new cultivar Japanese sweet flag, a perennial ornamental grass grown for landscape use.
The inventor discovered the new cultivar, ‘Golden Pheasant’ in October of 2000 as a whole fan sport of Acorus gramineus ‘Yodonoyuki’ (not patented) in a cultivated area of his nursery in Cedar Lake, Ind.
The new cultivar ‘Golden Pheasant’ was selected for its unique golden foliage. The parent plant, ‘Yodonoyuki’, has green foliage dusted with tints of gold. The foliage of ‘Golden Pheasant’ ranges in color from chartreuse to gold. The closest comparison plant to ‘Golden Pheasant’ is Acorus gramineus ‘Pusillus aurea’ (Not patented), a cultivar with golden foliage but with a dwarf stature, reaching only 3 inches in height, whereas ‘Golden Pheasant’ grows to about 12 inches in height. Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’ (Not patented) differs from ‘Golden Pheasant’ in that the foliage has gold and green variegation.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by rhizome division in Cedar Lake, Ind. in November of 2000 by the inventor. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.